Marine Life of the Firth of Forth

12-March-2015

Gibb Room, Bleachingfield Community Centre @ 8pm

The first event reflects Dunbar’s scenic coastal location where you can discover more about the Marine Life of the Firth of Forth. Delve the depths of the Firth of Forth and discover its marvellous marine life – seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales, sharks, fish and starfish and more exotic visitors such as turtles. Dr Bill Sanderson, from the Centre for Marine Bodiversity & Biotechnology, Heriot Watt University will reveal how Native Oysters were once so common in the Firth of Forth that nearly 20 million oysters a year were exported between1834-1836 but overfishing caused the population to drop until their numbers were decimated by 1985. Once the rich habitat of the oyster beds was destroyed by overfishing, this affected the diversity of sea creatures that thrived within the shelter provided by this complex habitat. The good news is that ways to restore seabed habitats and reintroduce the now extinct native oysters to the Firth of Forth are being explored. Dr Paul Fernandes from the University of Aberdeen will then go on to talk about commercial fisheries in the Firth of Forth. Matt Barnes from the Marine Conservation Society will celebrate the marine life of the Firth of Forth while Calum Duncan from Seasearch will describe how volunteer divers are providing important information about what lives where through this marine recording programme. Finally, Clive Greated from the University of Edinburgh’s Acoustic & Audio Group will show how waves are generated in the sea.